Portable scale.



T. L. KEPPLE'R.

, PORTABLE SCALE.

APPLICATION TILED'APR. 9, 1910.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

2 SKBETSSHEET 1.

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T. L. KEPPLER.

PORTABLE SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1910.

Patented Dec. 13,1910.

2 BHBET8-SHEET 2.

Jim/976x0 1 relfeya azen lb izrveaazj' 4214M? UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

THEODORE L. KEPPLER, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERI-CAN SUGAR REFINING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

PORTABLE SCALE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE L. KEPPLER, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in PortableScales, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to scales, and particularly to portable scalesfor weighing heavy materials, so constructed that a loaded truck may bereadily rolled upon the scale platform, the whole weighed, and thenrolled off again without the necessity of unloading the truck andreloading it at the scale. Hitherto, so far as I am aware, this had beenpossible only with stationary or non-portable scales, such as ordinaryhay scales, which are permanently built in so that the platform forms apart of the floor. For many purposes such scales are unsatisfactory andill adapted to the conditions under which the weighing must be done. Forexample, in weighing merchandise while being discharged from vessels atdocks, the merchandise frequently has to be weighed not only by customsOfilClttlS, but also by pri' vate weighers, and if stationary scales areinstalled for the purpose they will frequently be at places notconvenient for the rapid unloading and disposal of the goods Incomingvessels will necessarily lie at various berths and it is highlydesirable that scales be located in the direct line taken by thestevedores' in carrying the goods from the vessel to their place ofstorage or other destination. This can be accomplished only by the useof portable scales which may be placed in the exact position where mostconvenient for weighing the cargo as it comes from the vessel.Furthermore, the weighing mechanism of stationary scales is necessarilypartly below the floor, since the scale platform constitutes a permanentpart of the floor, and the rest of the weighing mechanism is for themost part concealed, so that if anything happens through accident ordesign to render the scale inaccurate, such defeet is difficult todetect and remedy. The ordinary portable scales hertofore used for thepurpose overcome certain of the objections to the stationary or built-inscales, in that they may be placed in the most convenient location, andthat the weighing mechanism may be wholly exposed and subject toinspection. Ordinary portable scales,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 9, 1910.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Serial No. 554,523.

however, are open to other objections hardly less serious, since theyare equipped. with scale pans or platforms upon which the merchandisemust be lifted from the truck upon which it is carried from the vessel,and after it is weighed must be again lifted from the scale pan to thetruck to be carried away for repeated weighing or to its place of storage or other destination. The handling of the merchandise in placing itfrom the truck upon the scales and then back again upon the truck,especially when the operation is repeated for repeated weighings,involves no small amount of labor when it be remembered that eachpackage may weigh several hundred pounds, and consumes no small amountof time, and subjects the merchandise to damage on account of repeatedhandling especially when hooks are used which is indispensable in thehandling of certain kinds of merchandise.

The principal object of the present invention is to eliminate thehandling of the goods at the scales, and to provide a portable scalewhich can be moved about at will and upon which a loaded truck can bereadily rolled, weighed and wheeled away again without touching theload, so that, notwithstanding the load may be weighed several times, itneed not be handled from the time it is placed on the truck on board thevessel until it is finally deposited at its destination. This has beenimposible with the portable scales hitherto in vogue.

In carrying out my invention I provide a portable frame from which issuspended the weighing device, including a platform which normally restsupon the floor and is adapted to permit a truck to be readily rolled onand off. The weighing device and the platform may be lifted bodilytogether until the platform with its load is clear of the floor, and theload is then weighed in the usual way, after which the weighing deviceand platform are again lowered to the floor for the removal of thetruck.

These and other features will hereinafter be more particularly pointedout.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure l is a side elevation of a portablescale embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the scale shownin Fig. 1 viewed from the right; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the scaleplatform shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. t is a cross-section of saidplatform somewhat enlarged. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation,somewhat enlarged, showing part of the pneumatic operating device viewedfrom the right of Fig. l; and Fig. 6 is a detail view showing inhorizontal section a twoway valve forming part of the pneumaticoperating device.

The portable supporting frame, which may be of usual construction,consists of the cross-bar A and the legs A. \Vhile in certain aspects ofthe invention no particular form of weighing mechanism is essential, Ihave herein shown a weighing mechanism comprising a scale beam or steelyard B of ordinary construction, suspended from the cross beam A by thebar C, which is not se cured directly to the cross beam A, but passesthrough a slot (1 therein and is pivoted at its upper end to theoperating lever C. The operating lever C has its fulcrum on a bracket Cmounted on top of the cross beam It. The steel yard P is provided withthe usual weights 2c, 11;. Suspended from the steel yard B by means of abail, consisting of a top piece D and forked side pieces D, is myimproved truclt platform. This platform comprises a pair of sheet metalstrips E bent to form an angle, the bottoms of which constitute wheelways for a truck, and the sides of which constitute wheel guides toprevent the truck from running off the platform. The angle metal wheelways and guides are suitably spaced apart to correspond with the breadthof the truck to be used, and are connected by the cross-bars c. Thespace between the wheel ways B may be filled and a continuous floorprovided by a sheet metal plate 0. The for r d end, that is, the end atwhich the truck approaches, of each of the wheel ways E is provided witha downwardly inclined surface, as shown at 6 sloping toward the plane ofthe floor, so that the truck may be rolled upon the platform with aslittle jar as possible; and to assist in guiding the truck upon theplatform the forward ends of the wheel guides are outwardly flared asshown at 6 The sides D of the bail which supports the platform areoutwardly bowed as best shown in Fig. 1, the bow or curve being greatestnear their lower ends a short distance above the platform as shown at(I, so as not to interfere with the overhang of the load L carried bythe truck T.

The truck platform normally rests upon the floor F, as shown in Fig. 1,and being made of sheet metal is very flat and thin and well adapted topermit the truck T to be rolled thereon as though it were a part of thefloor. hen the truck is in position upon the platform as shown in Fig.1, the outer end of lever C is pulled down, there by lifting the bar orlink C and raising the weighing device and the platform together bodilyclear of the floor. The weight is then taken and recorded in theordinary way, after which the weighing device and platform are againlowered to the floor and the truck and its load rolled off from theplatform for storage, further weighing or other disposition. Theplatform and weigh ing device may be elevated from the floor asdescribed by hand, in which case a chain H is employed which may bepulled down by the operator, and the hook it be secured to an eye it onthe frame A, to hold the plat form in elevated position while theweighing is being done. 01', if it be desired to save the labor ofelevating the platform by hand, it may be done by suitable powermechanism or motor, and to this end I have devised a pneumatic operatingdevice consisting of a cylinder J mounted on the legs A of the frame,having a movable piston J and piston rod J To the upper end of thepiston rod J 2 is secured a chain J which is connected at its upper endwith the operating lever C. A pulley J may be mounted in the cross beamA to guide the chain J and insure the movement of the piston rod J in avertical line. Air is admitted under pressure to the cylinder J abovethe piston J through the air pipe K which may be connected with anysuitable source of pneumatic pressure. In the pipe K is a two-way valveV, having an orifice i), which registers with an orifice 1; open to theatmosphere when the valve is in its normal position and the platform isresting on the floor. A second orifice 41 under these conditions isclosed as is the inlet pipe K, (Fig. 6). hen it is desired to lift theplatform from the floor for the purpose of weighing, the valve handle eis turned until the orifice v registers with the inlet pipe K, whereuponthe orifice a will be closed. Air under pressure will then pass from theinlet pipe K through orifice o and thence through pipe K to the cylinderJ, forcing the piston J" downward and thus operating the lever C. Thevalve handle '0 may be operated by hand but I have herein shown a devicewhich serves the double purpose of operating the valve handle and ofholding the steel yard against unnecessary and undesirable swinging andvibration due to the jar when the truck is being wheeled on and off theplatform. This holding device consists of the metal strap X secured tothe side of the leg A (F 5) forming a space or slot through which thesteel yard B passes when the weighing mechanism and platform are loweredto the floor. The space made by the holding device N is open at thelower end, and is provided with a gate formed of the angularly shapedspring metal piece M, the vertical arm of which is secured to the leg A,and the horizontal arm of which passes through an aperture in the leg Ainto engagement with the valve arm v The spring of the vertical arm ofthe piece M normally tends to hold said piece retracted so that thehorizontal arm closes the opening between the end of the piece N and theleg A, as shown in Fig. \Vith the parts in this position and the steelyard B held in the space formed by the parts N, M and A, very slightmovement is permitted the steel yard B, which is practically held lockedwhile the truck is being rolled upon the platform or removed therefrom,so that the wear upon the fine pivots, or knife edges 19, p, by whichthe steel yard is supported and from which the platform is supported onthe steel yard, is greatly reduced. When the truck is at rest upon theplatform and it is desired to elevate the weighing device and theplatform, the spring piece M is pressed inwardly, thus permitting thesteel yard B to be removed from the space in which it was confined, andat the smile time the inner end of the arm M swings the valve handle oso as to admit air to the cylinder J and close the outlet 0: to theatmosphere. The platform will thereby he raised as already described.After the weighing, the valve handle 41 is swung back again by hand,thus cutting off the inlet through pipe K, and opening the cylinder J tothe atmosphere through orifice 1/ which allows the platform again tosettle easily to the floor. It will also he understood that when theplatform is resting on the floor, the connections between the platformand the scale beam and between the scale beam and its support, are slackand under very slight tension, the weight of the platform being whollytaken by the floor, so that when a truck is wheeled on to the platform,practically no jar or vibration will be communicated to the fine knifeedge pivots p, 7).

I claim:

1. A scale comprising a portable supporting frame, weighing mechanismsuspended therefrom, a weighing platform suspended from said weighingmechanism, and adapted to normally rest on the floor, said platformbeing made of two parallel strips of angle iron rigidly fastenedtogether, one side of each strip standing vertically and forming wheelguides while their other sides form wheel ways for trucks and have theirforward ends sloping downwardly to the plane of the floor, and means tolift said weighing mechanism and platform together bodily away from thefloor to weigh the load on said platform and to lower the same again tothe floor.

2. In a scale comprising a portable sup porting frame, weighingmechanism suspended therefrom, a platform suspended from said weighingmechanism normally resting on the floor and with the weighing mechanismadapted to be lifted, said platform comprising a pair of anglewheel-ways spaced apart and rigidly connected, and a bail for suspendingsaid platform comprising an upstanding frame on each side of the samebowed outwardly for a short distance and then converging slightly upwardin straight lines.

3. A scale comprising a supporting frame, weighing mechanism suspendedtherefrom, a truck platform suspended from the Weighing mechanismnormally resting on the floor and adapted when so resting on the floorto permit trucks to be readily rolled thereon, and pneumatic means tolift said weighing mechanism and truck platform together bodily awayfrom the floor to weigh the load carried by said platform and to lowerthe same again to the floor.

t. A scale comprising a supporting frame, weighing mechanism suspendedtherefrom, a truck platform suspended from the weighing mechanismnormally resting on the floor and adapted when so resting 011 the floorto permit trucks to be readily rolled thereon, means to lift saidweighing mechanism and truck platform together bodily away from thefloor to weight the load carried by said platform and to lower the sameagain to the floor, said means comprising a motor, and means to controlsaid motor.

5. A scale comprising a supporting frame, a scale beam suspendedtherefrom, a truck platform suspended from the scale beam and normallyresting on the floor adapted to permit tracks to be readily rolledthereon, a holding device to prevent the swing of the scale beam whilethe platform is resting on the floor, pneumatic means to lift the scalebeam and platform together bodily away from the floor and to lower thesame again to the floor, and means to release said scale beam from saidholding device and at the same time to operate said pneumatic liftingmeans.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts this sixth day of April 1910.

THEODORE L. KEPPLER.

lVitnesses:

ROBERT GUSHMAN, CrrAnLns D. lVooDBnRnY.

